This invention relates in general to a shingle, and in particular, to a laminated roofing shingle including an overlay with cutouts and tabs and an underlay with shadow lines such that the shingle provides a three-dimensional effect with richness and depth.
In the past, roofing shingles have had to satisfy two main functions when applied to a roof deck. The first function is to provide a durable, weatherproof covering for the roof deck. Roof shingles, whatever their form, are intended to provide a means of sheltering the structure below the shingles from precipitation and the deleterious effects of sun and wind. Roof shingles installed on the roof deck must perform these protecting functions for a reasonable period of time. The second function is to present an aesthetically pleasing architectural feature which enhances the overall appeal of the structure to which the shingles have been applied. This aesthetic function has been satisfied by providing asphalt shingles with various butt edge contours and surface treatments which operate to simulate more traditional, and in most cases more expensive, forms of roof coverings, such as thatch, wooden shakes, slates, and even tiles of various forms.
Although several attempts have been made to design a laminated shingle with a shadow look, there is a need to produce a shingle on a production scale with a high style shadow look of the laminated shingle.
This invention relates to a laminated shingle. In one embodiment, the laminated shingle comprises an overlay member and an underlay member. The overlay member has a front surface, a rear surface, an upper portion and a lower portion. The lower portion includes one or more tabs separated by cutouts. Each cutout includes a pair of spaced apart vertical edges extending from a lower boundary of the upper portion of the overlay member to a lower edge of the lower portion of the overlay member. Each cutout also includes an upper edge extending between the pair of vertical edges.
The underlay member has a front surface attached to the rear surface of the overlay member. The underlay member includes a layer of granules on the front surface to form at least one vertically-oriented, generally elongated shading area having a vertically oriented longitudinal axis being substantially parallel to a vertical axis of the underlay member. The vertically-oriented shading area is darker in appearance than a remainder of the underlay member. The vertically-oriented longitudinal axis of the at least one vertically-oriented shading area of the underlay member is generally collinear with at least one of the pair of edges of at least one cutout of the overlay member, thereby exposing, within a cutout, a portion of the vertically-oriented shading area of the underlay member.
According to this invention, there is also provided a laminated shingle including an overlay member having a front surface, a rear surface, an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion including one or more tabs separated by cutouts, each cutout including a pair of spaced apart vertical edges extending from a lower boundary of the upper portion of the overlay member to a lower edge of the lower portion of the overlay member. Each cutout also includes an upper edge extending between the pair of vertical edges. The laminated shingle also includes an underlay member having a front surface attached to the rear surface of the overlay member. The underlay member includes a layer of granules on the front surface to form at least one shading area having two substantially vertical edges, being substantially parallel to a vertical axis of the underlay member. The shading area is darker in appearance than a remainder of the underlay member. One of the cutout vertical edges is arranged so that it is positioned between the vertical edges of the shading area of the underlay member, thereby exposing a portion of the vertically-oriented shading area of the underlay member.
According to this invention, there is also provided a laminated shingle that includes an overlay member having a front surface, a rear surface, an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion including one or more tabs separated by cutouts, each tab having a centerline substantially parallel to a vertical axis of the overlay member, at least one cutout including a pair of vertical edges extending from a lower boundary of the upper portion of the overlay member to a lower edge of the overlay member and an upper edge extending between the pair of vertical edges. The shingle also includes an underlay member having a front surface attached to the rear surface of the overlay member, the underlay member including a layer of granules on the front surface to form vertically-oriented, generally elongated shading areas having vertically-oriented longitudinal axes being substantially parallel to a vertical axis of the underlay member. The centerline of each tab of the overlay member substantially aligns with a vertically-oriented longitudinal axis of the shading areas of the underlay member to expose a portion of each of the shading areas of the underlay member.
According to this invention, there is also provided a laminated shingle that includes an overlay member having a front surface, a rear surface, an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion including one or more tabs separated by cutouts, each cutout including a pair of non-parallel edges extending from a lower boundary of the upper portion of the overlay member to a lower edge of the lower portion of the overlay member, each cutout also including an upper edge extending between the pair of vertical edges. The shingle also includes an underlay member having a front surface attached to the rear surface of the overlay member, the underlay member including a layer of granules on the front surface to form a vertically-oriented shading area having a pair of non-parallel edges being generally parallel to one of the pair of non-parallel edges of at least one cutout of the underlay member. At least one non-parallel edge of the vertically-oriented shading area of the underlay member substantially aligns with at least one non-parallel edge of at least one cutout of the overlay member, thereby exposing a portion of the vertically-oriented shading area of the underlay member.
According to this invention, there is also provided a laminated shingle that includes an overlay member having a front surface, a rear surface, an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion including a series of tabs separated by cutouts, each cutout including a pair of spaced apart vertical edges extending from a lower boundary of the upper portion of the overlay member to a lower edge of the lower portion of the overlay member, each cutout also including an upper edge extending between the pair of vertical edges. An underlay member has a front surface attached to the rear surface of the overlay member, the underlay member including a layer of granules on the front surface to form a series of shading areas being darker in appearance than the remainder areas of the underlay member, each of the shading areas having a shading area edge separating the darker shading area from an adjacent, lighter remainder area of the shingle. The shading area edges are arranged so that they are positioned between the vertical edges of the cutouts, thereby exposing portions of the shading areas of the underlay member.
According to this invention, there is also provided a roof covering that includes a plurality of successive generally horizontal courses of laminated shingles, the shingles in each course being laid in a side-by-side relationship and horizontally offset from the shingles in adjacent courses. Each laminated shingle includes an overlay member having a front surface, a rear surface, an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion including one or more tabs separated by cutouts, each cutout including a pair of spaced apart vertical edges extending from a lower boundary of the upper portion of the overlay member to a lower edge of the lower portion of the overlay member, each cutout also including an upper edge extending between the pair of vertical edges. Each shingle also includes an underlay member having a front surface attached to the rear surface of the overlay member, the underlay member including a layer of granules on the front surface to form at least one shading area having two substantially vertical edges, being substantially parallel to a vertical axis of to the underlay member, the shading area being darker in appearance than a remainder of the underlay member. One of the cutout vertical edges is arranged so that it is positioned between the vertical edges of the shading area of the underlay member, thereby exposing a portion of the vertically-oriented shading area of the underlay member.
Various objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings.